The Returner
chapter-23

A flying box full of water brushed past Yi Ji-Hyuk as he dived to the floor .

It was nothing more than that, just a simple brushing-by . Yet, he almost fainted from the impact .

“Son!!” (mom)

Mom’s desperate shouts woke him up, and he stood up while shaking his head to clear the dizziness away .

*SFX for a low growl*

From the entrance, a low growling came out . Yi Ji-Hyuk turned around to take a look .

A beast stood there .

A beast that was a hybrid of an ape and a dog, now stood at the entrance .

It was so huge, its head almost managed to touch the ceiling . The overall silhouette was similar to a bear, but that animal couldn’t even come close to the dangerous aura emanating from the monster’s sculpted, lithe body .

*SFX for a low growl*

The surrounding became deathly quiet .

Even the people who got injured by the flying boxes, even the unruly children who had been bawling their eyes out until now – all of them were holding their breaths . Perhaps, they had all instinctively realised that they shouldn’t provoke this creature… .

The half-mangled corpses of the monkey monsters that tried to enter the shelter not too long ago were strewn about near the entrance . That alone attested to the horrifyingly brutal nature of this monster .

“A Kodiac Monkey…”

Someone muttered softly under his breath .

People stared at the creature with despairing eyes, while praying sincerely in their hearts that it would lose interest here and go somewhere else .

But, everyone here knew very well that such a thing would never happen .

To not become the first victims, those with quicker wits began retreating to a corner, perhaps planning to escape through the gap when the monster would be too busy killing other people .

Meanwhile, Yi Ji-Hyuk glared at the monster called the Kodiac Monkey and spat out expletives .

“Hah . F*ck this sh*t . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He just wanted to live quietly, yet the heavens were actively messing with him like this?

Yi Ji-Hyuk fished out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up .

Who the eff cared that this was a no-smoking zone? He was this close to exploding from all the irritation bubbling within right now .

“Ah, seriously . I can’t even think straight because of no nicotine and no goddamn sugar, yet this happens? Really now?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

*SFX for a low growl*

The Kodiac Monkey fixed its gaze on Yi Ji-Hyuk .

Everything about this creature was strange – the way its massive frame looked like, where observers could feel its lithe agility rather than a gorilla-like heftiness; the fact that the basis for such an impression was based not on any of the primate species, but from a four-legged canine-like beast, instead; and finally, no matter what, the fact that it still kinda resembled a monkey .

“But, I guess you wouldn’t be called a monster if you didn’t look like a weirda*s motherf*cker, right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk received the Kodiac Monkey’s glare with a relaxed atmosphere . Trembling, madam Park Sun-Deok reached out with her hands .

“Ji, Ji-Hyuk-ah . ” (mom)

Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t even turn around while waving his hands to dissuade his mother .

“Mom . Don’t worry . Your son hasn’t lost his mind, nor has he gone insane, either . Am I a kind of a person who would step out to die without a plan, mom?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“B, but?” (mom)

“I hate soap operas, so I’ll finish this up real fast and we will go home afterwards . My blood sugar level is way too low right now, I’m hungry as hell, and also, gee whiz, I’m thirsty as f*ck, too . Jesus… . I must’ve become a moron or something . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk retrieved a bottle of water from one of the broken boxes, and drank a big mouthful .

“I can’t even think straight with this low blood sugar level . But there is only water here . God damn it . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Although he didn’t smoke it for long, Yi Ji-Hyuk still threw the cigarette down to the floor and stepped on it, grinding it under his foot .

Regardless of what his wishes were, what he had to do right now was as clear as a bell .

Yi Ji-Hyuk spat on the floor and clenched his fists tightly .

“Hey, you f*cking monkey POS . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s expressions became crumpled .

“You better clench your teeth real tight, cuz if you don’t, you are going to lose them . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Right then…

POW!!

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s body blinked and disappeared from the position and reappeared right in front of the Kodiac Monkey, before one of the meanest right straights ever seen in the human history slammed into the monster’s jaw .

*

“Where are we now, progress wise?” (Seo Ah-Young)

“Subjugation around the immediate vicinity of the Gate has been completed . Those who had escaped through the hole in the ceiling are currently being cut down by the Defcom, while those moving around in packs are being dealt with by thepsychers . ” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“And where is the place with highest threat level?” (Seo Ah-Young)

“If this location with a path to the surface is broken through, then the b*stards will try to spread out into the city . And…” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

*SFX for a static from a walkie talkie*

The noise coming from the walkie talkie cut off Choi Jung-Hoon’s speech .

“A Kodiac Monkey, moving towards the No . 3 Emergency Shelter . It’s engaged in hostile activity! I repeat, it’s a Kodiac Monkey, heading towards the No . 3…”

Even before the report from the walkie talkie came to an end, Choi Jung-Hoon was up and running already .

“Where is it?” (Seo Ah-Young)

Seo Ah-Young was hurriedly running after him as well .

Only with Choi Jung-Hoon’s guidance could she ever hope to arrive there in time, since he had memorised the location of every underground shelter in Seoul . Seo Ah-Young knew this fact very well, but she still ended up asking him out of urgency .

“Just follow me for now!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon found even the time required to make his reply too precious, and chose to continue running with all his might . And right behind Seo Ah-Young and Choi Jung-Hoon, heavily armed soldiers were following them as well .

*

KWAHNG!!

Everyone there heard an impact noise that was far too loud for a sound made by a human fist meeting a monster’s face .

And the Kodiac Monkey, and its over two tons of body weight, flew off like a bullet fired from a gun .

When the wall and the body of the monster collided, the wall lost and crumbled .

Thick dust clouds rose up dramatically .

Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked and took a leisurely stroll towards the Kodiac Monkey .

“You didn’t bite your tongue, did you?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He knew very well what a foolish and time-wasting act it was to talk to a monster that couldn’t understand human speech, but without this sort of side amusement, he wouldn’t be able to completely vent the irritation in his heart .

Seriously now – there should have been several other emergency shelters within this underground shopping mall, so why on earth did this thing choose to come here and bother the heck out of him?

*SFX for a low growl*

As if it was a person, Kodiac Monkey shook his head to regain some of its bearings . Well, it did knock that hapless wall down with its body, after all .

“Aren’t you a tough guy . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

If this thing was like that Jarchev, its head would’ve been destroyed in one shot .

Although it looked like it had suffered some damage, other than a couple of missing teeth, it wasn’t wounded badly at all .

“What a weakling . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Of course, he wasn’t referring to the Kodiac Monkey, but himself .

Here he was, not even able to kill a trashy mob monster with a single hit .

If the warriors of Berafe who had fought him in the past saw this scene, they would be rolling on the floor, their guts busting from the uncontrollable fits of laughter .

But, it couldn’t be helped, really .

Knights, warriors, martial artists – back then, he tried training in every ‘class’ suitable for close-quarter fights . But his limits were only up to ‘second grade’ .

Although he earned experience after even more experience until he grew sick and tired of earning, he could only just about reach the so-called second grade, but that was about it .

That was Yi Ji-Hyuk’s limit . Unlike the bodies of the Berafe’s residents, which could grow stronger through repeated training, as well as storing Mana within themselves to grow ever more powerful, his body couldn’t accumulate Mana no matter what, and he couldn’t even put on an ounce of extra muscle on his flesh .

After doing pretty much anything and everything in order to grow stronger, he successfully taught himself to wield Mana . But, that was still no better than the level of a newborn baby, when judged by Berafe’s standards . Even on Earth, Yi Ji-Hyuk possessed Ether value of just over 800, which was only a bit better than an average person .

No matter how proficient he was, there seemed to be a fundamental physical limit, a ceiling, that he couldn’t exceed .

“Still, to think, I couldn’t even kill a trashy mob… . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk was feeling frustrated .

Sure, he wanted live a life without fighting, but this sense of loss – losing what he already had – was a separate thing from his wish . Well, how can “not wanting to fight even though one possesses enough power” be the same as “can’t fight because one lacks power”??

What a regretful thing, then, that the muscle-brained Kodiac Monkey couldn’t understand Yi Ji-Hyuk’s current anguish .

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*SFX for a loud, furious roar*

While drool and blood gushed out from its mouth, the furious Kodiac Monkey dashed in towards unmoving Yi Ji-Hyuk .

“What a strange feeling this is . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

This was refreshingly unexpected .

Yi Ji-Hyuk was, quite refreshingly, staring at the face of death via the mad Kodiac Monkey running towards him .

Sure, the probability was really, really low, but still, realising that there was a chance for him to die, well, that was an odd thing to realise in a moment like this .

For over a thousand years, he couldn’t dance with the lady death . Not even once .

He couldn’t die even after a dragon’s Breath hit him . He even revived in full as if it was a matter of course, after getting struck by a super-massive annihilation magic that utterly obliterated him right down to the electron molecules .

He was not blessed by the goddess of death .

But now… he had emerged past that and was staring down at the death itself .

His heart was beating faster and faster .

While enjoying the sensation of an indescribable excitement bubbling in his heart, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s lips arched upwards .

“I kinda like this . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He could die here .

Definitely, he could die .

What the hell . Nobody would understand what I’m feeling right now .

Well, there should be no one out there who can understand someone like me, who has prayed for death and spent an aeon searching for it . (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Thinking like this, Yi Ji-Hyuk suddenly felt rather grateful to the Kodiac Monkey madly rushing towards him .

If there was one thing that proved to be somewhat regretful, then it was his lack of ability to graciously grant a painless death to this poor monster .

The front arm of the monster lashed out towards Yi Ji-Hyuk’s head .

A sound of whip cracking in the air resounded out, as if that weighty arm broke past the sound barrier or something .

Yi Ji-Hyuk took two steps to his right and successfully avoided making contact .

*SFX for a shorter, more urgent growl*

After destroying the ground like a piece of styrofoam, the Kodiac Monkey then began swinging its arm to its left .

As befitting its huge size, the arm could easily sweep everything away within the radius .

Yi Ji-Hyuk simply crouched and let the arm swing past above him . He could feel the sensation of his hair strands dancing from the air pressure .

“Tsk . ”

He moved his front foot and kicked the waist of the slightly-off balance Kodiac Monkey in rapid succession .

And almost at the same time, his right foot ruthlessly stomped down on the monster’s foot .

*SFX for an anguished cry of a monster*

As the Kodiac Monkey screamed out in anger and pain, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s smooth roundhouse kick exploded into the monster’s lower tummy .

Accompanied by a dull impact noise, the monster’s head bowed down .

“Didn’t I tell you…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t voice the rest of his sentence .

Well, he did tell the monster to clench its teeth before, so…

KWAHANG!!!

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s right uppercut, brimming full of Mana, connected spectacularly with the jaw of the Kodiac Monkey once more .

Slam, slam, slam!!

The monster’s body flew away at an acute angle, before bouncing off on the ground, rising up high into the air . Repeatedly .

Soon, the monkey monster slammed into the ground hard, coming to a stop .

Meanwhile, Yi Ji-Hyuk frowned deeply .

Although he had tried to prevent it from happening, the shoulder muscles couldn’t withstand Yi Ji-Hyuk’s explosive power and were all torn up .

“Hah… I can’t even regenerate here, so what now…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

A wound that would’ve been healed before he noticed it back in Berafe remain unhealed and aching now .

Yi Ji-Hyuk gritted his teeth and walked towards the Kodiac Monkey .

*SFX for a low, somewhat panicky growl*

It must have felt it .

The Kodiac Monkey’s eyes no longer displayed that haughty pride anymore . It had acknowledged Yi Ji-Hyuk standing in front as the superior being than itself .

When he slowly approached it, the monster struggled to stand and began to retreat in haste .

“That’s right . That’s right . Aren’t you a clever one . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk found this reaction of the Kodiac Monkey very much to his liking .

Too bad, that was as far as that went .

“Hey, monkey, did you know? The price for disrupting my leisure time will be huge . ”

Yi Ji-Hyuk possessed not one iota of desire to stop his punishment of this unfortunate monster .